Ink fountain



June 13, 1939. BAUE 7 2,161,943

INK FOUNTAIN Filed Jan. 17, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 20 INVENTOR v CARL D. BAUE 2 I BY ATTORNEY June 13, 1939. c. D. BAUE 2,161,943

INK FOUNTAIN Filed Jan. 17, l938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I {I I INVENTOR CARL D. BAUE ATTORNEY Patented June 13, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE INK FOUNTAIN Carl D. Bane, St. Louis, Mo.

Application January 17, 1938, Serial No. 185,351

1 Claim.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in ink-fountains for printingpresses and has for its objects the provision of an ink-fountain which may be variously adjusted to apply any predetermined quantity of ink across any predetermined area of the ink-rollers of the press, which may be readily and simply removed and disassembled for cleaning and reconditioning, which is simple and economical in construction and operation, and which is highly efficient in the performance of its intended functions.

And with the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings (2 sheets),

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a printing-press ink-fountain constructed in-accordance with and embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional View of the fountain, taken approximately along the line 2-4, Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of the fountain, taken approximately along the line 33, Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of the fountain, taken approximately along the line 44, Figure 1;

the fountain; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the ink dam of the fountain. I

Referring now inmore detail and by reference characters to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the base of the fountain is preferably in the form of a flat preferably oblong rectangular plate A machined on its upper face a and provided along its rear longitudinal margin with a plurality of spaced inwardly extending U-sha'ped slots I, the plate A being further provided adjacent its forward longitudinal margin with an aligned series of uniformly spaced threaded apertures 2 for receiving a plurality of setting-screws 3, each of which latter at its one end is provided with a knurled manipulating head or knob 4 and at its other end is suitably formed with a somewhat sharpened bearing-point 5. Preferably, for compactness and convenience of manipulation, the

screws 3 are in two series, one series of somewhat greater length than the other, so that the heads 4 of the longer series are disposed outwardly at some distance from the heads 4 of the shorter series, as best seen in Figures 1 and 2.

Secured, as by stud-bolts 6 or other suitable fastening means, fiatwise upon the upper machined face a of thebase plate A along its respective lateral margins, is a pair of upwardly pre- Figure 5 is an inverted or bottom plan view of I sented parallel opposed end-frames I shaped to project forwardly over and beyond the forward longitudinal margin of the base plate A and provided with laterally aligned bearing apertures 8 for rotarily supporting a roller shaft 9 equipped intermediate the frames 1 with a conventional steel ink-roller In. It may be stated that the perpendicular distance between the axial line of the shaft 9 and the upper machined face a of the base A is somewhat greater than the radius of the ink-roller I0, all for purposes presently more fully appearing and as best seen in Figures 3- and 4'.

Provided for removable disposition fiatwise upon the base A and for snug fitting engagement along its side margins with the respective inwardly presented faces of the frames I, is an ink-dam B, which includes a machined backstrip II preferably beveled, as at b, along its forwardly presented face and provided with two lengthwise extending rows of suitably spaced apertures I2, I3, each of the apertures I2, in turn, being in lateral alignment with a companion aperture I3, all for purposes presently more fully appearing and as best seen in Figure 6.

Extending forwardly from the beveled margin b and having their respective rear end disposed in flatwise engagement with the under face, of the backstrip II, is a plurality of oblong rectangular steel blades I4 each suitably machined or otherwise formed along its opposite lengthwise margins for close fitting engagement with the corresponding lengthwise margins of the contiguous blades, and each centrally provided at its rear end with a pair of aligned apertures I5, I6, for registration with a selected pair of strip apertures I2, I3, each aperture I5, except as presently appearing, being countersunk for receiving a respective attachment-screw H, which passes therethrough and is threadedly engaged in the registering aperture I2 of the dam back strip II in such manner that its head is flush with the under face of the respective blade I4, as best seen in Figures 4 and 6.

Extending fiatwise under the apertured rear ends of the several blades I4 in registration at its rear face with the rear face of the back strip II, is a reference strip IBhaving a longitudinal series of apertures I3 for registration with the respective apertures I3 of the back strip I I and the apertures I6 of the blades I4, the apertures I3 being counterbored for accommodating the heads of fastening screws I9, which extend upwardly through the blade apertures Ifi for threaded engagement with the strip II at its apertures E3,

The reference strip I8 is further machined along its forwardly presented face 1 for precise dam-positioning engagement with the rear face of the base'plate A, asbestseenin Figures 3 and 4.

which is provided by the arcuate As shown, certain selected blades I4 at their respective apertures I5 are provided with outwardly extending studs 20, which latter have threaded engagement at an end with the backstrip II at corresponding apertures I2. The studs 20 are diametrally sized for loose fitting engagement in registering U-shaped slots-I of the base-plate A and at their opposite ends are threaded for receiving a washer 2| and wingnut 22, which may be accordingly threaded upwardly against the under face of the base-plate A for securing the dam B operatively thereupon, in which position the several blades I4 project rearwardly over the upper machined face a of the base A and under the ink-roller I0, each blade I4 at its free rear end being thus disposed over the sharpened or pointed end 5 of a. respective adjustment screw 3, all for purposes presently more fully appearing and as best seen in Figures 2, 3, and 4.

Extending lengthwise of the base-plate A in intertwinedrelationwith the shanks of the several adjustment screws 3, is a spring steel or other suitably elastic tensioning ribbon 23 preferably shaped at its opposite ends for resilient impinging engagement against the heads of the adjacent base-plate studs 6, all for purposes presently more fully appearing and as, best seen in Figures 2 and 5.

In use, the fountain is suitably mounted in any conventional manner upon the particular printing press and the shaft 9 connected through a conventional ratchet or other drive mechanism (not shown) to suitable moving parts of the press for progressively rotating the roller I0 in the direction shown by the arrow in Figure 3. When so mounted on the press, the fountain is actually inclined forwardly and downwardly, so that the baseplate A, as shown in Figure 3, forms the inclined side of a trough C, the forward wall of surface of the ink-roller I0.

The several adjustment screws 3 are threaded upwardly into engagement with respective blades I4 of the ink dam B, the blades I4 being thereby flexed upwardly into edgewise contact with the v periphery of the roller ID, as best seen in Figures 3 and 4. 'Thereupon, a suitable quantity of printers ink may be loaded into the trough C, and the press may then be started in operation.

As the driving mechanism of the press rotates, the roller ID will also be rotated and its periphery will scrape over the engaging edges of the several blades I4. In order to allow ink to be withdrawn from the'ink fountain, one or more of the blades I4 may be selectively withdrawn from contacting end-engagement with the surface of the inkroller I0 by suitable adjustment of the associated screws 3, whereupon the ink-roller I 0 will, upon rotation, become coated with an annular band or bands of ink corresponding in width to the width of the withdrawn selected one or more blades I4, and it may be further pointed out inthis connection that, by increasing ordecreasing the distance between the scraping edge of the particular or selected blade or blades I4 and the periphery of the ink-roller III, the thickness of such band or bands of ink may be increased or decreased for accordingly increasing or decreasing the volume of ink thus withdrawn from the ink fountain. It, of course, will be evident to those skilled in the art that a number of parallel and spaced annular bands of ink of varying width and thickness may also be formed on the surface of the ink-roller I0 by lowering various sets or combinations of blades I4, as best seen in Figure 2.

By reason of the fact that each of the blades I4 is carefully machined for close fitting en- 7 blades I4.

It should be further noted in this connection that the thickness of the blades I4 is such that, even when a particular blade I4 is lowered to'its point of maximum distance from the surface of the roller I0, its roller-contacting end will nevertheless be above the plane of'the under face of the next .adjacent blade, thereby insuring a non-ragged distribution of ink on the surface of the ink-roller and preventing any ink leakage frombetween the blades I 4.,

The tensioning ribbon 23 is of such flexibility as to restrain the several adjusting screws 3 against unauthorized movement outwardly of the base plate A, so that the particular adjustment of the blades I4 under the influence of any given setting of the adjustment screws 3 will not vary or become changed due to vibration or other accidental causes during the operation of the press.

It will, of course, be readily understood by those familiar with the art that all printing presses are provided with rubber or composition ink-rollers which move axially toward and away fromthe roller I0 in'a continuously, recurrent cycle, momentarily contacting the roller III for picking up ink from the surface of the'roller I0 and distributing such ink on they type.

The entire ink-dam B may be readily removed'for cleaning purposes by loosening the wing-nuts 22 and drawing the ink-dam -B backwardly out of engagement with the base plate A. In the event that some of the blades I4 become worn 'or dulled, such individual blades I4 may be removed and either reconditioned orreplaced without necessitating a discarding of the entire dam B.

It should 'be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, ar arrangement, and combination of'the several parts of the fountain may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from thenature and principle of my invention. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by letters Patent is,

An ink dam including an elongated back strip having two spaced rows of transversely aligned internally threaded apertures, a plurality of elongated blade-members each having at its one end a pair of apertures in registration with a pair of transversely aligned back strip apertures,a reference strip of substantially the same length as the back'strip and of substantially 

